Tire Likely Blew Out on New York Tour Bus That Killed Two

A tire blowout might have caused the weekend crash of a tour bus near Rochester, N.Y., authorities said. One of them evidently blew out and sent the bus veering out of control off an interstate, killing two people and injuring 35, the Associated Press reported.

The bus, operated by Bedore Tours of North Tonawanda, was carrying 37 tourists from India to Niagara Falls from Washington, D.C., when it crashed on Sunday on Interstate 390 in the town of Avoca, about 55 miles southeast of Rochester, New York State Police said.

Dan Ronan of the American Bus Association, speaking for Bedore Tours, said a federal inspection last year gave the firm a satisfactory rating, the top of three grades. The review also discovered that 12 vehicles from the fleet of 19 were in good working order, but it's not clear if those included the bus in the accident.

The bus left Washington on Sunday morning and stopped for lunch in Pennsylvania, said state police spokesman Mark O'Donnell. He didn't have any other details on the passengers.

Investigators planned to interview the driver and witnesses and to inspect the vehicle to determine if there were any mechanical problems, O'Donnell said.